Forever & Always.

I smiled as the familiar brown haired boy appeared in the doorway. He visited for about an hour everyday and we would just talk. Sometimes he’d mention Max, but most of the time he just wanted a friend to chat to and I didn’t mind. He was a sweet boy and I quite liked him.

“Hey Oisín,” I smiled as he settled into the armchair he had claimed as his own. He closed his eyes and looked ready to surrender to the realm of sleep. I watched him with worry gnawing at my stomach; the teenage boy looked so fragile, as if one knock would shatter him. My eyes were drawn to the clock and I saw that he was more than half an hour early for our session, that was very odd behaviour for him. Deciding I needed to get his attention, I presses play on the battered cassette player I’d found in one of the old supply closets. The familiar sounds of an original My Chemical Romance demo filled the room. Oisín’s eyes opened and he grinned widely, “Is that a demo?”

I nodded and fiddled with the dodgy volume knob until it finally lowered the music to just background noise, “Yeah, I’ve had it years.”

He just nodded but didn’t question how I had gotten something so rare. That was one of the things I loved about the young boy, he rarely asked intrusive questions, just accepted the little information I gave him. I had to admit, I had grown quite attached to the shy teenager.

“Did you hear about the surprise gig they’re playing?”

I cocked an eyebrow and shook my head as I sat down opposite him, placing tow cups of coffee on the table, “No. I didn’t.”

He smiled and excitement filled his green eyes making them sparkle, “They’re playing a small show in just over two weeks because the other one sold out.”

I felt my lips form a smile that mirrored his. He looked so happy. “Are you gonna go then?”

His face dropped and his eyes lock their spark, “Uhm…no. I want to, like I really want to, but my dad said I can’t go without an adult and he’s too busy to take me.

This concert would mean the world to Oisín and it irritated me that his dad wouldn’t take one evening off work to bring his son to one measly little gig. I hate parents who won’t make time for their children, because I knew from experience how hard that was on the child. It was only after I returned from Jersey that mine and my Mom’s relationship improved.

“Where is it being held?” I grabbed a stack of post-its and a pen to note down the venue. I was going to find out as much as possible about this gig and see if there was a way to bring Oisín.

“Oh, it’s that one in town. Dream Academy or something?”

I froze with my pen over the little blue square. “The Dream Academy?” I asked with a smile.

“Yeah, why?”

Maybe I could find a use for Aidan’s job perk. If it would make Oisín happy I’d gladly meet the five boys who had left me behind all those years ago.

“Uhm…would your dad let me bring you to the show?”

He bit his lip and his green eyes were alight with hope, “Probably, but I don’t really know if I can get the money for a ticket.”

I waved away his concerns, a playful smirk sneaking onto my lips, “Oh don’t worry about all that.”

“Thank you so, so, so much,” He gushed, and in that moment I knew it would be worth it. Seeing the My Chem boys would hurt, but if Oisín was happy it’d all be worth it.

“Hey, I’m just going to make a call,” I smiled fondly at the young boy as he fiddled with the pen that I had left on the table in front of him. “I’ll be right back, ’kay?”

He nodded absentmindedly, probably already daydreaming about the concert we would, hopefully, be attending in just over two weeks. I grabbed my mobile phone and I ducked out of the room to call my fiancé, hoping that he wouldn’t mind that I was taking advantage of his job already.